Scientists Created a Logic Defying Material

Scientistscreated a logic-defying material that thickens as it stretches.The material is a liquid crystal that has yet to be given a name by scientists and is the first synthetic material known to behave this way.Scientists hope that it will have wide range of uses, including in body armor, architecture and medical equipment.

The ‘auxetic’ stretching property, which is found in human tendons and cat skin, had only been recreated using conventional materials.The new material could pave the way for commercially viable products as creating it does not involve expensive, complex engineering processes such as 3D printing, according to the lead author, Dr. Devesh Mistry said: ‘This is a really exciting discovery, which will have significant benefits in the future for the development of products with a wide range of application.

He added, ‘This new synthetic material is inherently auxetic on the molecular level and is therefore much simpler to fabricate and avoids the problems usually found with engineered products.’He added: ‘When we stretch conventional materials, such as steel bars and rubber bands they become thinner. Auxetic materials on the other hand get thicker’. Moreover, ‘Auxetics are also great at energy absorption and resisting fracture.

There may be many potential applications for materials with these properties. He added: ‘We have already submitted a patent and are talking about the next steps to enter the field of manufacturing.’